CHAPTER 68: RIVEN’S RIFLE

The place was like an open field, with no caves around, so Tatehan wondered where the Shadow Goblins were coming from. There were only boulders scattered about, so that might be where they hid and waited until they heard footsteps of any beings whose energy they could absorb.

He watched as Riven gripped her gun, her stance projecting bravery and confidence. But he knew the real reason she insisted on fighting the monsters alone.

To ’show him what she could do.’

These were very weak monsters, and Tatehan could bet his life that he’d only need one hit to defeat them. Their necks were thin, so a strike there would surely bring them down.

The system had labeled them [Very easy to kill], so it wasn’t like she was going to lift an elephant or something.

The Dust Rider was as steady as a car. As he rested on it, it didn’t fall or lean heavily to the side, instead, it only shifted slightly, balancing his weight and that of the armor.

Riven raised the rifle, now taking the stance of someone aiming for a bullseye shot, like one of those dart players trying to hit the red dot in the middle. That was what she was doing now, her tongue slightly out in concentration.

The funny thing was that the monsters weren’t even close to her yet when she was doing this.

And then she pulled the trigger.

An electric bullet shot out of the rifle. As Tatehan examined it closely while it sped through the air, he noticed it was slightly longer than a normal bullet, with a sharp, pointed tip.

It struck with a hum, ripples of energy exploding outward in the air.

Nothing happened. The Shadow Goblins were still coming forward.

Tatehan looked at Riven, curiously alarmed.

"The bullet did nothing," he said to her.

Riven only grinned as she mounted the Dust Rider behind him.

"You might want to move back a bit," she told him. "Drive away."

Tatehan didn’t know what was happening. She’d only shot one Shadow Goblin, the bullet sticking in its neck but not going inside...

Wait!

Tatehan squinted his eyes.

He realized.

’The bullet didn’t pierce?’

He quickly roared the Dust Rider into action and sped away from the goblins, but still close enough to see what would happen.

As soon as they moved, they heard a beeping sound—

BOOM!

A loud explosion.

The bullet sticking to the Shadow Goblin’s neck had detonated, affecting it and the others around it in a violent burst of energy and shrapnel.

"Mind-blowing," Tatehan said to Riven with a smile.

So she really could deal damage as cool as this. The rifle wasn’t as normal as he’d thought. To be honest, he’d expected the weapon to shoot normal bullets, ones that would kill with minimal effect compared to a regular rifle. But what was he seeing here?

Explosive bullets?

Brilliant.

He looked at Riven, wanting to say something, but she was already zooming toward the exploded Shadow Goblins on foot. Tatehan stared at her in shock.

In fact, she was already coming back toward him, the cores of the monsters in her hands.

"I guess I don’t need you anymore?" she said with a teasing grin.

Tatehan grinned under the helmet. Guess they’d have to part ways now.

He shrugged.

"I don’t know, depends on..."

Riven quickly mounted the Dust Rider, startling him.

She was going with him even after gaining the cores. She willed them into her inventory and held Tatehan by the waist, her rifle slung over her shoulders.

"Make sure not to kill me with your speed," she said. "And the reason I’m still going with you even after getting the cores I’ve been looking for for three days is because I can’t ride a bike. And you seem to be able to."

Tatehan smiled as he revved the engine.

The reason he knew how to ride a motorcycle was because he used to do so on Earth, and he wouldn’t say he was very good. But he knew how to get it on the road and arrive at his destination.

With his enhanced brain and some attractive girl on the bike close to him, he should be able to do wonders.

With a roar, he sent the bike forward.

He started slow at first. By ’slow,’ he meant average speed. That was until he checked the duration the core he’d installed granted the Dust Rider.

[Duration remaining: One hour, five minutes]

He now understood why Riven had decided to go with him even though she’d gained four cores from the Shadow Goblins.

Apart from the fact that she couldn’t ride a bike, if she had taken a bike and gone alone, she would surely run out of cores midway and have to continue on foot.

And it wasn’t like she knew the way, so she’d likely get stranded again.

"Hold me tight," he said, now unsummoning the armor. It was starting to get uncomfortable, and it was hard on the surface, so it might hurt Riven who was gripping him. He didn’t want her to fall from the insane speed he was about to reach.

"Yay!" Riven said as soon as he unsummoned the armor. She couldn’t see his face, though, as he was facing forward and she was at his back, facing his shoulders.

"Look back so I can see your face," she urged him.

"Perhaps later. We have to get out of here as fast as possible."

Riven gave a sigh.

"I’m trying to turn a four-day journey into a ten-hour journey."

Riven shrugged behind him.

"Your hair looks nice, though."

Tatehan smiled. He was starting to get used to her playful character even though they’d only met minutes ago.

Truly, his hair did look mesmerizing from behind, and that was enhanced by how the wind swayed it, making it flutter like trees when a violent storm was incoming.

Tatehan kept increasing the speed as time went on. He kept pushing it higher and higher, until soon he was going at a speed so insane it felt like a death wish.

Riven clutched him tightly, even resting her head against his back for stability.

It would mean immediate death if the gust of wind they were creating with this sort of speed sent her flying backward.

The Martian landscape blurred around them—red sand, scattered rocks, distant formations all becoming streaks of color. The Dust Rider roared beneath them, the Shadow Goblin core glowing with unstable energy as it powered the machine forward.

Tatehan felt alive.

The wind whipped past his face, his hair streaming behind him. Riven’s grip around his waist was firm and trusting. The bike responded to every minute adjustment he made, perfectly balanced despite the deadly velocity.

This was freedom.

For the first time since arriving on Mars, he wasn’t fighting for his life. He wasn’t getting chased by some lunatic creature or facing off against an impossible to beat monster.

He wasn’t struggling to survive. He was just... riding.

And he had company.

"You’re insane!" Riven shouted over the wind, but there was laughter in her voice. "I love it!"

Tatehan grinned and pushed the bike even faster.